Soo-won of the Sky Tribe
by Sabishi Tomo
Summary: Kei-shuk attempts to assassinate Princess Yona on the eve of her birthday, only to be thwarted by Soo-won. Canon divergence, where Il does not die and the royal cousins fight on the same side. Chapter 1: Hak encounters Jae-ha in Awa.
1. Prologue

On the eve of her birthday, Kei-shuk attempts to assassinate Princess Yona, only to be thwarted by Soo-won. Canon divergence, where Il does not die.

 **Prologue**

Soo-won's week at Hiryuu Castle had been taxing to say the least, but it was nothing compared to what was to come tomorrow night after the celebrations of Yona's sixteenth birthday party. He took out his father's sword from its customary position on his belt, and examined it.

Tomorrow at this very hour, his life would be completely changed. Would he be strong enough to do what was necessary when the time came?

No… the question was never about whether he could do it, he already knew he was capable of it. Every time he saw Il's face, he was reminded of _that_ night, and he knew what had to be done. What's more, he knew he could carry it out emotionlessly without being swallowed up by the consequences.

When was it that he had developed the ability to detach himself from his emotions at will? Was it the night his world was torn asunder because he had inadvertently seen the father he worshipped murdered by the uncle he loved? Was it later, when the burden of keeping the knowledge of his father's murder to himself threatened to swallow him whole? Or perhaps he had always had the innate ability before any of this started. He didn't know.

Soo-won had been a curious child. Much like the mischievous Hak, he often sneaked out of his home without permission to explore the neighboring towns. But unlike Hak, he rarely got caught, and he kept getting bolder and bolder. On the day of his father's murder ten years ago, he sneaked into the supply caravan that was travelling with his father on a business trip to Awa. He had never visited the port town, and well, he barely ever got to see his father. Perhaps Lord Yu-hon would be impressed enough by his stealth skills to forgive him for his transgression.

Lord Yu-hon and his guards went ahead in their horses, and by the time the supply caravan reached the inn in Awa, it was already nightfall. He knew he would get an earful from his father's guards if he got caught, and he really wanted to impress Yu-hon, so instead of going through the entrance of the inn, he climbed a tree to get to the second floor. The sight that greeted him from the window of his father's room wasn't one he would likely ever forget.

His father was facing him, scrunched up in agony with a sword through his heart. And the person who had stabbed him was none other than his uncle, King Il.

He thought he was having a nightmare. His father, the invincible Prince Yu-hon, who had bested thousands of warriors on the battlefield and led the kingdom to unfettered glory, had been stabbed? Plus, there was no way his peace-loving weapon-hating uncle would ever hurt anyone, not to mention his father. His father loved King Il, and supported him wholeheartedly. Why would Il hurt him? This wasn't real! If Soo-won went through the window into the room, he would probably wake up from the dream. Bad dreams always ended at the worst parts!

But as he made to move, his father saw him. He saw Yu-hon's face change from agony to fear. He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Soo-won knew by instinct what he was saying. _Don't you dare move from that spot, Soo-won. If you move you will die._

At that moment, Soo-won knew this was no dream. Instead, he stayed rooted to that spot on the tree, tears streaming down his face, disobeying every instinct in his body that told him to run to his father. He watched the life leave his father. His courageous, strong father was no more…

He didn't know how he managed to make it back to Kuuto without being seen. All he knew was that if Il realized he was there at Awa during his father's murder, his life was as good as gone.

The news had not reached Kuuto by the time he made it back. His mother was incredibly worried about Soo-won's sudden disappearance of course, but other than that, nothing.

So when Yu-hon's death was hailed as an unfortunate boating accident in Awa, he pretended he knew nothing, driven by the fear that if he told anyone what he had witnessed, they would die too. During his period of mourning, he avoided Yona and Hak. If he saw them, he was sure he would break down and tell them everything. They could never know, especially not Yona. If he told Yona, would she believe him or her own father? Hak would believe him, Soo-won was sure, but what would telling him achieve but put both their lives at risk?

For a time, he wasn't even sure what he had seen. Had his kind, loving uncle truly killed his brother? It seemed completely incomprehensible. What reason could he possibly have? As far as he knew they were on perfectly good terms with each other. King Il ruled the kingdom with his policies, while Lord Yu-hon had strengthened the borders through conquests. They had seemed to make the perfect combination…

Perhaps his father was the one at fault? Had he committed some treason against the kingdom? Soo-won investigated. On the pretense of understanding his father's estate, which he would take over when he was of age, he went through his father's documents, spoke to his father's men and went on various trips around the kingdom. In the process, he discovered many things…

He would accomplish what he had set out to do, no matter who stood in his way. But it was not something he could do as an ordinary noble. However, as long as King Il was alive, he would never stand to see Soo-won on the throne. And so, his path was already set.

Soo-won knew he could do it, he was sure of it. But there would be a heavy price to pay.

Hak would never forgive him. He would no longer be at his side.

And Yona… sweet, untarnished, innocent Yona who hardly knew life outside the castle. Would he make her relive the same pain he had ten years ago? He only wished he had a way to spare her, but there were none.

He had allies now who were counting on him to accomplish what he set out to do. He would have to remain strong.

He had allowed himself this week to say his goodbyes. He had let himself pretend that things were the same as ten years ago. He trained with Hak, walked around castle grounds with Yona, fed Gulfan together with both of them. He acted like there were no barriers between them. But who was he kidding? The Soo-won they had known as a child had been gone for a long time now.

It was hard to pretend with Hak. When Hak had told him to rule together with Yona a few days ago, he had almost broken down and told him everything. But he had restrained himself.

" _I will protect you and the Princess until I die."_ Hak had told him.

 _After tomorrow, you will never want to see my face again, my friend,_ he thought.

Soo-won sighed and resheathed his sword. He would walk around the castle. He needed to clear his head if he wanted to catch a few hours of sleep.

Unsurprisingly, he ran into Hak, still hard at work in the training grounds at this late hour. "As diligent as ever, Hak."

Hak paused mid-strike and looked back with a smirk, "If I can't do at least this much, I can't expect to keep beating you, can I?"

Soo-won pouted in mock indignation. "We're evenly matched!"

"But if we were fighting seriously, I would beat you every time."

Soo-won smiled, "That's true. But that's why you're my goal, Hak."

Hak scratched his head and looked embarrassed. "You're still on about that?"

Swinging his glaive around, Hak jerked his head in the direction of the training grounds. "How about it? Want to train with me now?"

Soo-won laughed. "I wish I had your energy, Hak. I think I will pass tonight. I'm going to walk around a bit and then sleep."

"Suit yourself." Then in a teasing voice he added, "But don't expect to reach your goal just by walking around, Lord Soo-won."

Soo-won laughed. "I will keep that in mind, General."

Why was it so easy to pretend everything was normal with Hak? He had distanced himself from his friend over the last few years, but was he truly ready to give it all up? He supposed that was a pointless question…

Hoping there was a way to keep Hak and Yona by his side while still going through with his plan was merely wishful thinking. That was greed. Life wasn't that simple.

He had wandered over to the other end of the castle without noticing, near Il and Yona's quarters.

He felt a strange sense of disquiet. The guards loyal to him were to perform their regular duties tonight. And yet, there were no guards around here. Forget his own men, he didn't see any of the king's men either. What was going on?

A few nights ago, when Yona had unexpectedly barged into his room, she had been frightened that someone was pursuing her. He had genuinely thought she had imagined it from the sounds of the sudden storm that night, but… An image abruptly popped into his mind, unbidden.

His Chief of Staff, Kei-shuk. He was a knowledgeable man, but his ideas of how things should be run often differed greatly from his own. For example, Kei-shuk was strongly of the opinion that both Hak and Princess Yona should be done away with at the same time as King Il, which perhaps made sense logically but it was something which Soo-won fundamentally disagreed with, not to mention-

Soo-won heard a strangled scream. He would recognize that voice anywhere.

He rushed in the direction of Yona's room, his heart filled with dread. _I'd wanted to spare her, somehow. Kei-shuk, don't you dare-_

Yona was cowering against the wall, a knife inches from her throat, her mouth covered. He barely realized that he had picked Kei-shuk up and knocked him to the floor. His eyes were ice, "What do you think you're doing, Kei-shuk?"

"L-Lord Soo-won," the black haired man stuttered. "I merely-"

Soo-won didn't let him speak, instead moving to take him outside. "I hope you realize that trying to kill the princess is high treason, Kei-shuk."

A hand grabbed his sleeve from behind. "S-Soo-won…" Yona managed between sobs.

Soo-won dropped Kei-shuk and wrapped Yona with his cloak. "I'll be back after I take care of this man, alright? I'll be right outside, so no one can get in."

Once outside, he summoned his guards, Mu-ah and Gyo-ku. "Kei-shuk, you will be placed under house arrest until I decide a suitable form of punishment for you. Normally, a crime like this would call for immediate execution, but on account of all the services you have provided for my father and I, I am making an exception. Mu-ah and Gyo-ku, I want you to escort Kei-shuk to his house."

Kei-shuk bowed his head in shame, "Lord Soo-won, I merely wanted to make things easier for you…"

"I can understand your motivations, but I never remember authorizing you to do such a thing." Soo-won said coldly. "Remember what we are here for. You have jeopardized our entire mission."

Mu-ah tried to argue for Kei-shuk's sake, but Soo-won ignored him.

When he went back to Yona, he found her in the same spot by the wall, shaking and sobbing. He put her to bed, but she clung to him. He stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. "Everything's alright now, Yona. You are safe."

He sighed internally. He was a hypocrite, wasn't he? He was prepared to kill Yona's father in cold blood, but he had fired his Chief of Staff for trying to do the same to Yona. Well, what Soo-won had done was the correct decision. He didn't know what Kei-shuk, normally a level-headed person, was thinking by attempting to kill Yona the night before their mission to assassinate Il, not to mention the day before Yona's big celebratory birthday bash. Had his hatred for the current regime clouded his judgement? If Yona was murdered, not only would Il have doubled his guards, in the resulting confusion, he would have more than likely discovered their assassination plot. Killing Yona today would have offered them no advantage.

But he had to admit that when he heard Yona scream, his heart stopped. The prospect of her death frightened him. The girl who always greeted him with a smile, who ran to him whenever he came to visit, who was always a source of warmth for him.

And so he found himself asking again, was he truly prepared to completely lose Yona and Hak from his life? The fact that he had distanced himself from them for years was irrelevant.

Yona had calmed down considerably. "Who was that man? Why was he trying to kill me? W-was it to hurt my father somehow? Just like when my mother was killed?"

"I don't know, Yona." He said immediately, almost mechanically. "But I will make sure that this doesn't happen again."

She snuggled into his chest and whispered. "Don't ever leave me, Soo-won. I can't bear to lose you."

He stiffened. Her comment angered him. Of course, she didn't know anything, so his anger was misdirected, but she was so naïve! _If only things were that simple!_

Yona's eyes widened and she backed away from him. Had he said that out aloud? She suddenly looked scared of him. This had been a problem on his trip this time, he kept saying too much. His mask kept slipping in and out, both with Hak and Yona.

He ran a hand through his hair, irritated with himself, "I'm sorry, Yona. I didn't mean to say that."

She looked up at him for a few moments with those big, clear lavender eyes of hers. He was taken aback by their intensity. He put up his customary smile, "Um, is something wrong?"

She was smiling back at him, but her smile looked sad, "Soo-won. It's okay to say what you actually think and not what you want me to hear, you know. I am not that weak. Lately, I feel like I never know the difference between the real Soo-won and the one Soo-won wants to show to the world."

He felt like the floor had given out from underneath him. She had noticed that much?

She touched his hand lightly. "It's okay to tell people things. If not me, you could at least tell Hak. He would listen."

Soo-won said nothing.

"I tried to tell you the other day, but you ignored me. I wasn't going to bring it up again, at least not for a while, but, after nearly being killed today, I think I would rather not live with any regrets." She said quietly. "I love you, Soo-won."

He already knew that, even though he had tried to ignore it. But what she loved wasn't really him, was it? He laughed nervously, "Of course you love me, Yona. Ahahaha. We are family after all!"

"Stupid Soo-won. You know that's not what I meant, stop pretending!" Yona pouted angrily, her cheeks puffing up like a squirrel's. "Hmph, I totally take back what I said. I hate you!"

Soo-won stared at Yona for a second, shocked by her abrupt transition. Then he spontaneously burst out laughing.

He didn't know why he found that hysterically funny. Was it how Yona had gone from declaring her love for him to 'hating' him in a few successive sentences? Or was it how she had the ability to transition from deeply insightful adult to a complete child in mere minutes? In some ways, Yona had grown up, but in other ways, she had maintained her child-like innocence.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was poking Yona's bloated cheeks. He could not stop smiling. "You are too cute, Yona."

"Geez, stop treating me like a child!" She was still pouting, but she seemed happy.

 _But you_ are _still a child_ , he thought.

Yona sighed. "Well whatever, it's fine. Even if you don't accept my feelings, as long as I can be by your side, I'll be happy with that." She was smiling at him.

He felt his cheeks heat up. Again, he felt unsteady, like the feeling of vertigo. How did she have the ability to destabilize him so easily? This stubborn princess with a heart of gold and warmth like the sun who he kept underestimating.

In a split second, he had made his decision.

Soo-won grabbed both of Yona's hands. "Will you marry me, Yona?" It would slow down his plans considerably, and probably anger some of his allies, but he had to make it work.

She clearly wasn't expecting that. First she looked shocked, then puzzled, and then flat out angry. "Don't joke about something like that."

"I was being serious."

"Yeah right. You've never seen me in that light. That's not how marriage works."

 _I never thought I had the option to see you like that,_ he thought.

She buried herself in her blanket. "I'm going to sleep, Soo-won. I'm tired. Can you leave?"

"Would you hear me out for a few minutes, please?" he asked gently.

"No," she said flatly. He touched her shoulder but she refused to turn her head toward him.

He realized belatedly that she was crying. "Yona…"

"I've dreamed about getting married to you since I was six years old." She mumbled through her pillow eventually, when she realized he made no sign of leaving. "But I never wanted it to happen like this. Why are you asking now?"

"Because I want to rule the kingdom with you by my side. I know this isn't the ideal marriage proposal but I promise to take care of you."

Yona turned around to look at him. Soo-won felt uncomfortable under her searching gaze but he held his ground, "It doesn't have to be right now. It could be a year from now, or even several years from now. It's whenever you want."

Soo-won had no delusions about the fact that he was being manipulative. He was utilizing her love for him to get what he wanted. But wasn't it far better than the alternative?

He wondered then briefly. Did the fact that he felt entitled to the throne make him a terrible person? He automatically assumed he would be a better ruler than Il, or anyone else Yona might select for that matter. Was he becoming exceedingly arrogant?

"I will marry you, Soo-won." Yona's voice broke the silence, and for a few moments Soo-won forgot to breathe.

He smiled at her, "You don't have to answer me right away, you know."

"Well, I just did." She stuck out her tongue at him a bit defiantly. "In any case, it doesn't matter what I say, because you will have to convince Father."

Soo-won's expression hardened for a millisecond.

"How will you convince him?"

He pretended to think about it. "Hmmm, I don't know. I'll figure something out."

He ran into Hak on his way out.

"I heard someone tried to hurt the Princess." Hak said. "Is she alright?"

Hak slammed his fist against a pillar in fury when Soo-won explained the situation briefly. "I was careless. I can't believe I didn't notice anything was amiss."

Soo-won touched his shoulder. "It's alright, Hak. I didn't either. We should just increase our vigilance from now on."

Leaving Hak on guard at Yona's door, Soo-won entered the King's spacious chambers.

The king awoke with a start at his approach. It took him a moment to recognize him in the dim light, but when he did his voice was laced with fear. Did the king already suspect that he knew the truth? "S-Soo-won, what are you doing here at this late hour? Where are my guards?"

 _Pitiful King Il, did you really not notice how I systematically replaced some of your own guards with my own? Or has this so-called peace made you so complacent that you ignored it?_ When he was alone with the king like this, it was hard for him to keep his disdain from showing, but he would need to no longer.

Without preamble he said, "King Il, tomorrow at the princess's birthday celebration you will announce me as Yona's betrothed and your successor."

Il was momentarily taken aback but he then stood up to his full height. "Who I will chose as my successor is my own decision, Soo-won. You have no right to dictate it."

Soo-won took out his sword and pointed it at Il's face. He said coldly, "Do you really think you are in a position to bargain with me? Should I choose to do it, I could cut you right there where you stand. You are no match for me. Murderer." He spat.

"W-what are you-?"

"Don't try to deny it. You were seen that night you killed my father in Awa." Oh, how difficult it had been to control himself in front of Il every time in the years that followed. Years of unrestrained emotions were coming out today, and he was worried that he would lose himself and suddenly kill Il in a fit of rage.

"You will listen to all my demands." Soo-won continued. "You do not have to relinquish your rule officially to me right away. We can agree on a suitable timeframe later. However, you will have to adhere to me on all policies and decisions. Should you try to harm me in any way, my Father's supporters will march against you. You would do better than to test my allies, because your loss is certain. After all, wasn't the frightening prospect of my father's large sphere of influence in the kingdom what drove you to murder him in the first place? His roots run deep."

King Il looked angry, defiant. All traced of pretense between them were gone, "Soo-won, what makes you think I will listen to what you say? I would sooner die than listen to your demands."

"Oh dying would be too easy. We can't have that. You will serve me till the day I die."

"You will regret this, Soo-won…" Il tried.

Soo-won smiled. "Oh, will I now? I wonder what my betrothed will think when she learns her father, who never lets her touch weapons, murdered her beloved uncle in cold blood."

And with those parting words, without looking back, Soo-won strode out of the king's chambers. He would regret nothing.

The next day, at Princess Yona's sixteenth birthday celebration, her betrothal to her cousin, Soo-won of the Sky Tribe, the deceased Prince Yu-hon's sole heir, was announced. While the announcement was sudden, it did not come as a surprise to many, and it was met with great support. Soo-won's father was well-liked even outside of the Sky Tribe, and the prospect of Soo-won's succession of the throne together with the Princess brought new hope to the people. And so history took a new turn…

* * *

 **End notes:**

Let me know your thoughts! This is the first time I've ventured into this fandom, and the first time I've attempted to do an AU of this nature. I hope I was able to do the character's justice!

I really love the complexity of Soo-won's character in the manga. I don't really consider him to be the villain of the series. Rather I feel like his ambiguity/anti-hero qualities is what makes him all the more human and the series so interesting because you can never tell how he is going to drive the plot (because really he is the biggest plot driver). I love all the characters and the Happy Hungry Bunch, but for me what does it for me in this series is the complex dynamic of love-hate-betrayal between Soo-won and Yona & Hak. Every time Hak or Yona are in a panel with Soo-won, the conflict makes me breathless (Kusanagi-sensei does an amazing job with that I feel!).

Anyways, the royal cousins make such a good combo even when they are on opposing sides (because really while their methodology is different, they are pursuing parallel paths all the time), I can only imagine the awesomeness that would result if they were on the same side. I don't think it would be all bed and roses certainly, especially because without Soo-won's betrayal, you remove the catalyst for Yona's growth, but I am looking forward to exploring that dynamic in this fic. Hope to see you next time and please leave your feedback if you can :). Constructive feedback helps my writing a lot!


	2. Chapter 1

Thanks to all my readers for your support, and my reviewers **Ngnsng** and **egarimmirage**! You guys rock. On to the next chapter!

As for the questions I've received, I can't really respond without spoilers, so you will just have to find out ;).

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

The weeks following her engagement passed by like a dream for Yona. Everything happened so quickly that she didn't have time to truly process it.

The biggest difference, of course, was that Soo-won was staying at the castle now, even though she didn't see him all that much. Soo-won's new duties as Il's eventual successor kept him busy, but the important fact was that he was _here_. How many times had she wished that he lived in the castle, like he did when they were children?

Yona was still trying to wrap her head around Soo-won's unexpected marriage proposal to her. After all, she had resigned herself to her love being unrequited forever. Why did he change his mind after all this time? Regardless of the circumstances, she was undeniably happy. She knew it wasn't the ideal situation, but for now she just wanted to not overthink it and let things take their natural course.

Today, she was sitting in on one of Soo-won and Hak's discussions. In these discussions, they talked about the state of Kouka's economy, military and other affairs. Yona wasn't quite sure what the purpose of these discussions were. To enhance each other's understanding of Kouka politics and figure out next steps for Kouka's future, perhaps?

When she first stumbled into one of these discussions, she had felt hurt that they hadn't asked her to join. But they had probably thought she wouldn't be interested. Truth be told, would she be as interested before the attempt on her life? She had lived in a happy little closed bubble until then. And if she was completely honest with herself, would she be as interested if it weren't for the feeling that she was being left out from Soo-won and Hak's life, that she was merely chasing behind their backs instead of being beside them as an equal?

She had initially found herself taken aback by the depth of knowledge that both Hak and Soo-won possessed on Kouka's affairs. Hak's expertise seemed to lie in military strategy, and its nuances in each tribal region. On the other hand, Soo-won knew a lot about the political and economic states of each region.

If she thought about it, perhaps it was not that surprising that Hak was well-versed in the affairs of the armies of Kouka and the neighboring kingdoms. He was, after all, a general. He had been trained personally by Mun-deok as his successor from a young age. It was just that Yona only ever saw his mischievous side. The Hak whose primary occupation was to tease and annoy her. Hak was her precious childhood friend, his title of general had never really meant much to her. Sitting on these discussions made Yona realize, for the first time, that the title wasn't just for show.

Then there was Soo-won. She had always thought he was born to be a leader, but his knowledge of politics could not come from any sort of inborn talent. He had not been idle these past few years. He had studied the history of Kouka's policies and governance, and perhaps even travelled to various parts of the kingdom. Was that why he had been too busy to visit the castle?

Comparing herself to the two of them, Yona felt ashamed. She had always lived a blissfully content life in the castle, remaining woefully ignorant of the country's affairs. What did she bring to the table? Right now she didn't even have enough knowledge to contribute to simple discussions.

It was also jarring to think that she had missed such important details about the two people she claimed were the closest to her. Was she simply too naïve or were they shielding her?

They were in her Uncle Yu-hon's old library today, now primarily used by Soo-won. The windows had an exquisite view of the royal gardens outside so she always loved being in here. When her uncle had been alive she had been too terrified to enter. She remembered her uncle fondly from her younger days as being extremely strict.

Soo-won was talking about Awa. "There's clear evidence of tax fraud in Awa's documents. This has unfortunately become fairly common, especially in bordering towns, but it Awa's case, it runs much deeper. My men have been gathering information in secret. They haven't been able to infiltrate Yan Kum-ji's inner circle but they've uncovered some information."

"Awa officials have been oppressing residents for years: looting, pillaging, carrying off women." Soo-won smiled at Yona apologetically. "Locals are too afraid to retaliate because these officials are fully backed by Kum-ji. There have also been heavily guarded ships that take off from Awa's port at odd hours of the night. I suspect Kum-ji is trading with the Kai Empire illegally."

"Drugs?" asked Hak.

Soo-won nodded. "Most likely. But there have also been some disquieting rumors about disappearing locals."

Hak slammed a fist down on the table. "What is Geun-tae doing? Why hasn't he put a stop to this?"

"I don't think he knows the extent of the problem. If you look at reports from visiting state officials, they are filled with glowing praises about Yan Kum-ji, and the cleanliness and hospitality of the city. Even the tax inconsistencies are well hidden."

"Give greedy officials good food, booze and wome-" Hak bit his tongue when he glanced at Yona. "-erm, company, and they're willing to overlook anything."

"You're right. State official visits are planned months in advance so Kum-ji has plenty of time to prepare. There's no real evidence of his illegal activities." Soo-won's smile suddenly widened. "So I was thinking a surprise visit might be in order."

Hak smirked. "I like the way you think, milord. When do we start?"

"Hahaha, Hak. I sense you're hungry to beat some people up but this is a reconnaissance trip only. We can't afford to take a lot of people with us, because we'll draw too much attention. We could rendezvous with my men in Awa if needed. I was thinking of taking just you actually." Soo-won turned to Yona. "That is, if that's alright with you, Yona. I know the king won't be happy with me for taking your bodyguard away from you, but is it alright if I borrow Hak for a little while?"

Yona was listening with rapt attention all this time, but now, with more confidence that she felt, she declared, "Only if you let me go with you two!"

"Not a chance, Princess." Hak said immediately. "It's way too dangerous. Plus, your father would never allow it."

Yona pouted. "But Soo-won said it's a reconnaissance trip only. Why can't I go? It's not fair that I can never leave the castle. I want to see the rest of Kouka too!"

"If you must leave the castle, ask his Majesty if you can visit the capital. There's the big festival coming up next week. I'm sure he will let you go if you ask."

"Stop treating me like a child!" Yona yelled before she could stop herself, tears stinging at her eyes. She knew she would lose this battle. She _knew._ Even then, she had wanted to at least try. But everyone treated her like a fragile, porcelain doll. To be elaborately dressed up and put on a shelf, but never to serve any use but to look at. Perhaps it was her fault for enabling it all these years. In fact, she had even enjoyed it. After all, who didn't enjoy being pampered and being completely taken care off without having to worry about anything? She didn't know if it was because of her near death experience, but she was tired of being sheltered and protected. Being holed up in the castle hadn't helped her survive that day; it had merely paralyzed her with fear.

Hak was momentarily taken aback by her outburst, and was about to retort back when Soo-won spoke up. "Yona, like Hak said it's going to be a really dangerous trip. Even though it's a reconnaissance trip, there's no way to predict what might happen. But if you want to come with us in spite of the danger, you're welcome to. I won't stop you."

Both Yona and Hak were shocked. Hastily wiping at her tears, Yona asked, "Do you really mean it?"

"Absolutely."

Yona jumped up to hug him. "Soo-won, you're the best!"

Hak's face was a mixture of exasperation and disbelief. "Seriously, Lord Soo-won? You're okay with taking the Princess to Kum-ji's lair?"

Soo-won smiled at Hak. "It's alright isn't it? She'll have her indestructible bodyguard with her."

Hak scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "Well, none of that matters if his Majesty doesn't agree to let the Princess go, which he won't!"

Soo-won tilted his head and looked to the side, "Ehhh, I think he might agree if we make a good argument."

Hak ended up eating his words, because King Il agreed to let Yona go with them, although not happily.

"I don't know what sort of magic hold you have over his Majesty, Lord Soo-won." Hak said later, still flabbergasted. "I can't believe he is letting his precious daughter leave the castle with just the two of us. I thought we'd have to take the whole army with us before he agreed! Also, you sneaky bastard, you didn't give him all the information you uncovered about how dangerous Awa is!" Hak had gripped Soo-won in a mock stranglehold.

Yona smiled a little at the incongruity of Hak formally addressing Soo-won by his title but cursing him right after. She had heard Soo-won request Hak drop the title many times, but he always refused.

As she walked back to her room, she wondered why King Il hadn't put up much resistance to her travelling. Almost like he had resigned himself to it. It was strange considering how steadfast he had been in his refusal for her to leave the castle for most of the years of her life. Yona thought her father had looked sad and tired today. It was like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She felt a pang when she remembered that he had looked much the same after her mother's death…

She pushed those feelings aside. She had been under her father's overprotective care long enough. Right now she would focus on her travels with Soo-won and Hak.

Once she came back, safe and sound, her father would see the error of worrying incessantly and locking her up in the castle. She would spend some time with him then and alleviate his worries and everything would be fine.

* * *

They left at the crack of dawn by horseback and arrived in Awa by midday. As they stood on a hill overlooking the port, Yona looked at the ocean with wonder.

"I think I'm going to do some scouting on my own," Hak declared. When Yona looked up at him with surprise, he scratched his head. "It'll be way easier to extract information if I'm by myself."

Yona's eyes narrowed. "You're going to do something suspicious, aren't you?"

Hak flicked her forehead and turned to Soo-won before she could start angrily railing against him.

Soo-won already had his hand outstretched toward him. "Give me your glaive." He winked. "It will be part of merchant Won's merchandise."

Hak smirked. "Always a step ahead of me, Lord Soo-won. I was just thinking of a way to get rid of this thing. Nothing that keeps information away like a huge-ass weapon like I have."

Yona was sticking her tongue out at him. "You're also a public menace."

The blade of the glaive was already covered, so Soo-won wrapped the handle around with a white cloth and then tied it to his pack. It was bulky, but didn't immediately strike as a weapon anymore and was certainly effective as a disguise.

Hak patted Yona's head before he headed off to explore the city, to more pouting from her end. "Be good, Princess."

It was true that he would be able to get a lot more information on his own. Women had a tendency to be soft on him, without him even trying, but that would certainly not happen if he had Yona, another woman, by his side. Plus, he doubted Yona or Soo-won realized, but they made a rather conspicuous bunch. Yona's distinct red hair was a rarity (Hak certainly hadn't met anyone else with it), and Soo-won's blonde hair was uncommon outside of nobility. Together with Hak, if their descriptions circulated around, it wouldn't be hard to identify them.

Then there was the other reason. He wanted to give Soo-won and the Princess some time together. They were engaged now after all… Such consideration from him on a reconnaissance mission probably wasn't necessary, but he was sure they would appreciate it. It was advantageous in this situation anyway.

In any case, this city was so strange. Walking through the market place, you could hardly tell these people were oppressed. Shops were brimming with the latest products, and business seemed to be booming. It wasn't that Awa was economically depressed. Being a large port city, hundreds of merchants travelled through the city every day. But prosperity of the city only made Awa's lord richer and more powerful. Did the ordinary residents benefit at all? From the reports Soo-won had received, it seemed not. In fact, it seemed that Yan Kum-ji was getting bolder and bolder. Hak could tell the people were scared of the city officials. He saw residents avert their eyes whenever they walked by, and the women seemed to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible.

For all the prosperity of the city, the back alleys told a different story. They were a den of homelessness and illegal activity. Desperate prostitutes tried to catch his attention at every turn. Shaking away a thin-faced man who was trying to sell him a "miracle drug" powder, Hak escaped back to the main street.

Here the sight he saw irked him. Two officials were harassing a young girl, who was clearly distressed. _In broad daylight on a busy street, seriously?_ Hak thought. Passersby had noticed, but they merely whispered to each other without doing anything. Hak balled his hands into fists. Didn't the residents realize they were enabling the officials with their silence?

He could rescue the girl and risk blowing his cover or…

He saw one official grope the girl's breast and he completely lost it. The girl couldn't be older than Yona.

In seconds, the official was on the ground, spluttering and coughing. He turned to punch the other man. To his surprise, he had already been knocked out.

A young man with long tied-back greenish hair was smirking over the official with a lazy eye. Hak noted the foreign clothing and the pierced ears. "Disrespecting a girl like that, you need another lesson in beauty," said the droopy-eyed green-haired man.

Hak blinked. He didn't know about _beauty_ but he could agree with the rest of the statement.

Droopy-Eyes had clasped the girl's hands, "Ahhh, I don't know if I should be rougher with those men or thank them for the opportunity to meet you. It must have been fate to have allowed us to meet like this."

The girl was blushing and stuttering. _Seriously? Girls fell for crap like that?_ "Enough. More of them are coming." Hak grabbed both of them and started sprinting to an alley and then to another, taking down an official who had caught up to them on the way.

Droopy-Eyes looked at him with open admiration. "Heh, you're pretty strong! Are you a soldier?"

"You're pretty strong yourself," Hak deflected, as they caught their breath. The man was a bit too happy about the compliment.

The girl they had rescued was profuse in her thanks. It turned out she worked in a shop nearby but attracted the attention of those officials when she went out on an errand. He and Droopy-Eyes, or Jae-ha as he introduced himself, escorted her back to her shop.

Unfortunately, right as they were leaving, they were spotted by more officials.

"It's those two, we found them! Capture them!"

It happened in the split second that Hak took to decide if he would fight or run. Suddenly, the world around him spun and his vision blurred. He felt his legs give away and someone's arm around his shoulders. He felt completely disoriented, what was happening?

But before he could make sense of the situation, his feet were firmly planted in the ground again and he was in a completely different alley, Jae-ha leaning on the wall beside him, looking out of breath.

Dazed, Hak said, "We were just in front of the shop… How on earth did we get here?"

For a second, Jae-ha looked like a trapped rabbit, but then he was all smiles. "You blacked out when an official hit you with a baton from behind. I carried you over here. But man, are you heavy! I thought I was gonna die, whew!"

Blacked out? Hak couldn't remember the last time someone had managed to sneak up behind him – he had surpassed Mun-deok when he was ten. But he had felt lightheaded in front of the shop, like he was in midair, and now seemingly had no recollection of travelling to this alley. It would all make sense if he had passed out.

"I know a good place we can hide until the officials get tired of searching," Jae-ha was beaming.

And that's how Hak found himself in an "entertainment" house, surrounded by provocatively-dressed women, pouring him little cups of sake. Behind him groups of dancers entertained other men, accompanied by the soft music of the erhu and the flute.

A vein popped in Hak's forehead. "Why are we here, Droopy-Eyes? THIS is your idea of hiding?" he said through gritted teeth. That idiot had two women flanking his side and one on his lap; he was enjoying himself _too_ much. It was the middle of the day, for god's sake!

Hak derived sick satisfaction from the fact that Jae-ha looked hurt from the nickname. But it lasted all of five seconds before he was grinning again. "Relax, Hak." He waved his arms happily. "Enjoy the beauty of this place…and these _gorgeous_ ladies." He cupped the chin of the woman on his lap, who looked back at him coyly.

Hak truly wanted to murder the pretentious green-haired man right now, but he had to grudgingly admit that this would speed up his information gathering immensely. No-one had more information about the city than entertainers, whose clients were likely to be high-ranking officials. Often extracting this information from them required a high price, but since these ladies knew Jae-ha already…

Sure enough, after several cups of sake, the women were talking quite easily. It appeared that most of them got into the escort service to help repay their families' debts, which they had incurred because of the high taxation rates. There were other jobs for women, but they were hard to come by, and didn't pay as well. The locals hated Kum-ji, but his men plagued the city. Disobedience would be met with violence or death. Families had tried to defy Kum-ji's laws before. Kum-ji had punished them by carrying off their girls. These girls, if they were "worthy" enough, became Kum-ji's personal slaves. Otherwise, they would be taken away from the city and never heard from again… Hak felt his hatred and fury rise as he heard these stories.

The locals didn't know who to direct their anger towards. Was it the evil Yan Kum-ji who was to blame, or was it General Lee Geun-tae and King Il who had forsaken them? Hak found himself asking the same question. Why was it that no-one knew how bad the situation in Awa was? This… this was not acceptable. Ignorance was unacceptable as an excuse.

Apparently, there were rumors that General Geun-tae was depressed. After his glory days during King Ju-nam's reign when he had helped Prince Yu-hon lead the kingdom's armies to countless victories, he found himself with nothing useful to occupy his time. There were no wars to fight, the kingdom's economy was also down, and he had simply lost his inspiration.

Hak knew he could not simply play the blame game. While it had been several years ago, he had travelled to Awa before during Kum-ji's time and had not noticed anything amiss. Hak was nearing his fourth year as a general, and his ignorance was also inexcusable.

The women also told Hak about Awa's pirates. Along with their Captain Gi-gan, they were a group of do-gooders who had been thwarting Kum-ji's trade at sea. While the locals secretly supported these pirates, the presence of the pirates was a double-edged sword. Since Kum-ji's men had been unable to touch the pirates, they were taking their anger out on the locals instead, causing them to suffer even more.

Jae-ha was leaning back on the couch and looking at Hak intently. His knowing smile disturbed Hak. "You seem very interested in Awa's affairs, Hak."

Hak deflected several of Jae-ha's questions, but the other man managed to extract the fact that he was a bodyguard. Jae-ha disliked Hak's profession. Being trapped to one master was "not beautiful." It seemed he was very particular about freedom.

* * *

Yona and Soo-won spent the day extracting information about the Earth Tribe's military presence in Awa. Since this was a border town, military presence was relatively heavy. There were two barracks, one on the outskirts of the city and one near the port. Technically speaking, the military in these barracks directly reported to General Geun-tae, not Kum-ji. However, it appeared that the soldiers mostly let Kum-ji's men do what they wished. Here too, Kum-ji had likely bought some key officials, but it was hard to pinpoint the depth of penetration. Were the troops simply following orders or were they truly loyal to Kum-ji? Soo-won rendezvoused with his men and asked them to investigate as well.

On their way back to meet up with Hak, they encountered a group of Awa officials rampaging a weapons store. From the broken window, they could see two officials jointly beating up the shopkeeper, screaming at him all the while.

"You think you're so much better than us, huh? HUH?!" There were more beatings.

Yona knew that if they intervened, their identities would be discovered, but even so, they had to do something…! The state of Awa shocked her. Today, when Soo-won and she stopped at a shop for lunch, she had overheard two men whispering about what a terrible ruler King Il was. It had hurt. She had felt indignant on her father's behalf, but also some doubt had seeped into her mind. It was true that her father did not have control over every aspect of the kingdom, but he was still responsible for the welfare of every city. When she got back to the castle, she would ask him about Awa…

The shopkeeper's wife was sobbing. "Please, sir. We never wanted to offend you. Please take whatever weapons you like, but I beg you not to hurt my husband any further. You will kill him!"

One of the officials turned to her and slapped her. "Don't worry, you'll be next."

A little boy whimpered from behind the table, "Mother… Father…"

Yona grasped Soo-won's arm with both of her hands. "Can't we do something, Soo-won?" Her eyes were full of tears, but they were also burning with rage. "Please, we must…"

Soo-won strode in to the shop with Yona beside him. "Excuse me, is there something wrong?" he asked pleasantly. "My cousin Rina and I are merchants from Kuuto who regularly do business with my good friend there. Is there some way we can be of assistance?"

Soo-won's capital accent must have intimidated the officials because after spitting at Soo-won's feet, they made a hasty retreat.

The shopkeeper's wife rushed to tend her husband's wounds and Soo-won assisted. Yona knelt down beside the little boy who was silently crying, terrified. "It's alright now. Your parents are both fine, see?"

He cried on her shoulder and put his little arms around her. "Thank you, onee-san. You saved them."

Apparently, the officials wanted a weapon that had been specially made for a particular customer. Angered by their refusal to sell the weapon, they had started beating the shopkeeper. It was completely senseless.

The shopkeeper, though he could barely stand, insisted they take a weapon of their choice as a token of gratitude, despite their repeated refusals.

Soo-won found her staring at a weapon. "Are you interested in the bow?"

Yona was embarrassed. "Umm… I know Father doesn't want me to use weapons, but I think I need to learn how to defend myself." She had been thinking about this ever since the assassination attempt, and those feelings had been only heightened when she saw the situation in Awa. "I should probably learn the sword, but for some reason I find myself drawn to the bow."

"Your father will scold me, but I think learning to defend yourself is an excellent idea. Since we're trying to be as low-key as possible here though, I do think we should wait until the end of the trip before you get something. A bow is difficult to hide."

Yona nodded.

Soo-won smiled, "Don't look so disappointed." He placed something in her palm. It was a small, flat dagger. It was only as big as her hand, but the blade was quite sharp. The sheath was beautiful, with carvings of dragons. "You can use that for emergencies right now, but at the end of our business in Awa, Hak and I will come back to this shop and help you choose a real weapon. How does that sound?" To say Yona was excited was an understatement.

The couple refused to take any money for the dagger, so Soo-won slipped some gold into the hands of the boy and whispered in his ear.

* * *

Jae-ha skipped from roof to roof, humming happily to himself. Yesterday had been a great day. He'd met the superbly strong warrior Hak in the afternoon, and then at night, the pirates had yet another victory over Kum-ji's men. Captain Gi-gan was making preparations for a final showdown with Kum-ji, and so the responsibility of recruiting some strong men fell on Jae-ha's shoulders. That's why, meeting Hak yesterday was the perfect coincidence. Jae-ha's own strength was that of a hundred ordinary soldiers (he didn't mind saying so himself) and having Hak on their team would be like having two of himself. Victory would be that much closer. Ahhh, just thinking about that made him shiver with excitement.

He had found Hak earlier this morning, but he had escaped from him. Had he come on too strong? Was the fervor of his pursuit too much for Hak to handle? The man was still young, but he wanted him _so_ badly. His strength that is. Jae-ha had explained to him how Captain Gi-gan wanted his strength, but Hak had adamantly refused. He would convince him yet!

Ah! There was Hak. He had spotted him once again. This was perfect. If he jumped from here, he would land right on top of him. The man would have no idea what had hit him.

In Jae-ha's excitement to catch Hak, he didn't notice the dangerous presence right beside him. It was the presence that had been bothering him since yesterday and making his dragon leg throb, the presence he had wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Hak?" said a girl's voice from behind him that sounded like honey to his ears. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Or rather I will be as soon as I cut up this droopy-eyed pervert." Hak punched him straight in the face, momentarily blinding him.

"Oh!" the girl's voice rose in excitement. "Is this the man from yesterday you were telling us about?"

"Unfortunately yes."

Jae-ha slowly turned to face the girl. The fear and anticipation drove every other thought from his mind. He needed to see her face.

When he locked eyes with the girl, the pain in his leg suddenly intensified ten-fold. He dropped to his knees, unable to hold his own weight. It felt like his blood was boiling. He couldn't breathe.

A voice rang in his ears, loud and clear. _You are now our other halves. You will serve Hiryuu as your master, and protect him with your lives. You will love him, and never betray him._

The girl was touching his forehead. "Wow, you're burning up. Are you okay?"

Hak scratched his head. "Did I hit him too hard? I'm not sorry."

Jae-ha badly wanted to embrace the girl, and never let her go. Why did he feel this way, even though they had just met? It was like he was under a spell.

The girl was gazing at him with her eyes unfocused, almost like she was in a daze. Then she whispered, "Green Dragon…"

* * *

 **End Notes:**

Had a lot of fun writing this! The Awa arc in the series is def one of my favorites! Feedback greatly appreciated.


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